Moving out - contractual responsibility to clean

chewmylegoff

Hello,

My tenancy ends in a few days, and I am moving to another property.

The contract states that the landlord has to have the property professionally cleaned before we moved in, and then we have to have it professionally cleaned before we move out. Contract was signed before we took possession.

When we took possession the flat had not been professionally cleaned. The inventory check in (carry out by an 'independent' clerk) notes the condition of the flat: i.e. says things like "carpets not hoovered or cleaned" "kitchen not cleaned, oven in need of deep clean" and so on. At the time the check in clerk said that we could either asked for the property to be professionally cleaned, or not bother and then return it to the check in standard ourselves at the end of the tenancy.

We just wanted to move in and unpack all our stuff so cleaned it ourselves rather than wait several days.

Obviously the check in clerk is not the landlord, and the contract is still the same, i.e. states I must have the property professionally cleaned.

I am pretty sure that regardless of the what the contract may say, I just have to put the property back into the state I received it in. I will probably, in fact, leave it in a better state than as per the check in report, but I don't intend to pay someone hundreds of pounds to do it "professionally", when it wasn't professionally cleaned (or cleaned at all) to start off with.

Is this a correct understanding?

N79

You are correct. Just return the property to the same standard as when you moved in.

G_M

Clean to standard when you moved in.
Take photos.
Have a witness look round to confirm it's clean.
Read throught the inventory you and the LL signed when you moved in and make sure the condition is the same when you leave as is described in the inventory. Especially if the inventory incorporates photos.